434 



On Literature and Science in the Middle Ages. [ Dec. I , 



of HiWebrand, Archdeacon of Rome, li- 

 mited the interference of the lay-powers 

 in the election of the pope to the Cc'llej:e 

 of Cardinals. As pope, he rendered the 

 ijiDuence of kings difputable even in the 

 fjifpofal of archbilhoprics, biflioprics, and 

 abbeys, and bound the archbilhops, be- 

 ibre they received the mantle, to take tin 

 exchifive oath of valValage to the Roman 

 fee. He attempted to render the prohi- 

 bition of marriage to the clergy general 

 thraugli the Church, and by that mean to 

 make the whole body of the clergy more 

 dependent on him, and himielf and fiic- 

 eclVors, by degrees, the heirs of all their 

 rich polVertiong. In every kingdom he 

 was prefent by his confidential minifters, 

 and hy their alfillance kept every rank in 

 a fylieinatical fubjection, kings, princes, 

 aiul the whole body of the clergy, from 

 the metropolitan to the lay-porter pf a 

 nionallery. 



Scarcely had thir-ty years paffed away 

 from the coinineucemeqt of this new 

 power, when all tfic llatfes in Chriften- 

 dorn of any importance, — Germany, 

 rraiicc, Enii;laud, wei* flmck with ter- 

 ror at its del'potifm. Henry iV^ in Ger- 

 ttiaiiy, (3076,) Philip I. in France, (1094,) 

 faw theinfelves degraded by an interdirt, 

 and an ignoniinions and open expi- 

 ation of their offences ; Henry V. in 

 Germany, (1122,) and Hemy I. in Eng- 

 land, (1107,) robbed of a fiibltantial 

 lijtht of royalty, — the ecclehallical in- 

 vciliture of tiie ir bilhops ; and Duke 

 Roger, the new potentate in Sicily, in 

 the year 1100 found liimfelf'conftrained 

 to take on himfeif the title of legate, to 

 avoid a vilitation of the papal miiiilter. 



Tor fcveiiil years after this (till the 

 year 1154,) was the renovated temporal 

 dominion of Rome fo fiiiniy eftablilhcd, 

 that none of the furrounding ftates, even 

 the moil powerful and entcrprihng, 

 dared rife up in oppolitiou to it. How 

 did Adrian 1\'. harrafs, for nearly half a 

 eentui-y, the ambitious and rofolute Fre- 

 derick I. ; and when Frederick at lall 

 was admitted to terms of peace, he was 

 ri'ceivcd into favour by Alexander HI. 

 like a returning prodigal Ion. How ig- 

 iioniiiiioully was Iloniyll. of England 

 treated at Becket's tomb by the fame 

 p jpe, after having long endured excom- 

 luunication ! 



Setting themfclves above all humm 

 ordinances, and in defpite of all rights, 

 the Roman pontiffs oppofed prince 

 ftgainlt prince, fubjefe agaiuft ihoir fo- 

 Toreigns ; CKCommunicatcd monarchs at 

 tiieir pleafure, and uhiVlved thtjr lub- 



jefts from their o»th of allegiance ; de- 



^ihi'oned kings, and gave away kingdoms. 



The maxims of government they openly 



« vowed were, that no king's or emperor's 

 itie waF valid till ratiSed by thaconfeht 

 of the pope. 



After 125 years of continued aftive 

 and fuccefsful employment of every fa- 

 vourable conjnnnure for ftrengthening 

 their power, Innocent III., as I before 

 obferved, brought the papal authority to 

 its higheft pitch of greatnefs. Ever-dif- 

 contented Rome was by him brought to 

 wbediencc. He took poffefTion of the 

 apoftolical eHates of Mathildis, (the 

 foundation of the modern ecclefiartical 

 fiate :) he opened to the apoftoHc cham- 

 ber an inexhauftible fource of wealth in 

 the fale of difpenfations : and laftly, 

 what alone remained to be done to com- 

 plete the fubjeAion of the higher orders 

 of the clergy, he exatted an path of vaf- 

 falage from the bilhops. He fent whol« 

 colonies of his creatures in all direftions 

 over every kingdom in Europe, and efta- 

 blilhcd them in benefices at his pleafure. 

 By means of legates, who atted as hi* 

 miniilers, a vail tribe of archiepifcopal 

 vaflTals, and a countlefs hoft ol needy 

 priefts and friars, to whom lie gave pre» 

 ferment, his dominion was complete. 

 But this afpiring pontiff did not con- 

 fine his ambition to Wcftern ChriJlen- 

 dom. Under him a \j.\Kvn kingdom 

 was eftablilhcd at Conftantinople, where 

 alio he reigned over every i^e, fen, and 

 degree with uncontrouled power ; over 

 kings as well as fubiects ; and to render 

 the former more fubinilhve, be added 

 new terrors to the anathema, by the ad- 

 dition of the interdict. All bowed be-: 

 fore him in reverential awe. He com- 

 pelled Alphonfus X. and Philip Auguftus 

 to annul their marriages, and afterwards 

 divided their dominions between Peter 

 of Arragon and the favage Bulgarian Ca- 

 lo John. Armenia paid him only a hol- 

 low fubmilVion ; but he held the Empe- 

 ror of the Romans in a Hate of abfolute 

 valValasre, as by an hereditary right at- 

 tached to the apollolic chair ; and while, 

 where he could make no fucfa preten-^ 

 fions, the care of foul^ did not lie very 

 near his heart, yet for the falvatjon of 

 monarchs whofe crowns he hoped to 

 grafp one after another, he betrayed all 

 the anxiety of a tender father for hfs 

 tiifl-born. John of England is an ex- 

 am lie of this, whom he fo humbled, that 

 at 1 ill he was a king without territory 

 and without fubjedts ; and how arro- 

 ta Illy at laft did by coufent to replace 



ki^n 



